February 24, 2022 | By Bronwen Largier | Impression of the completed Ritz-Carlton Melbourne
With major player in Australia’s construction industry Probuild put into administration this morning, the Ritz-Carlton Melbourne and W Sydney have each confirmed that work has paused on their properties which are due to open this year.
The move to place the construction company in administration came after its South African parent company, Wilson Bayly Holmes – Ovcon (WBHO), withdrew finance from WBHO Australia, under which Probuild sits.
W Sydney and Ritz-Carlton Melbourne, both part of Marriott International, released identical statements to micenet this morning:
“We are aware that Probuild is working closely with the administrator and pursuing several options. Construction at the Management site is currently paused. We are unable to comment further on this at this time,” the statements read.
Both hotels are behind their original opening dates, no doubt in part due to the pandemic, however WBHO also indicated in a statement released earlier this week that Australian businesses in which WBHO Australia has an interest – which include Probuild – have not been able to complete projects on time.
Ritz-Carlton Melbourne and W Sydney were both expected to open in the second half of this year, but it remains to be seen whether Probuild’s administration will impact their launch timelines.
Deloitte has been appointed as administrator with reports suggesting the construction company is currently working on projects worth a collective $5 billion.